Folding bed



J. B. WELLS FOLDING BED June 25, 1929.

Filed April 23, 1925 ORNEY Patented June 25, 1929.

UNITED STATES JAMES B. WELLS, OF STEILACOOM, WASHINGTON.

FOLDING BED.

Application filed April 23, 1925.

This invention relates to improvements in folding beds and moreparticularly to beds of that character in which the bed frame proper isrigid and is foldable into and from a caster supported housing providedtherefor as distinguished from being folded into a wall opening, or thelike; the principal object of this invention resides in the means forand manner of suspending the bed .frame within the housing and in theprovisionof grooves of novel form located within the 1nside walls of thehousing', for receiving guide rollers on the bed frame whereby the bedis supported properly while open or while folde'd into the housing andwhereby its movement while being moved from one position to the other isproperly guided.

Other objects reside in the various details of construction andcombination of parts embodied in the invention andin their mode ofoperation.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 isa perspective view of a folding bed embodied by the present invention,showing the same in open position.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same when closed; one side wall ofthe housing being removed for better illustration.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a part of the housing, showing one ofthe guide grooves in its inner face.

Referring more in detail to the drawings- 1 designates, in its entirety,the bed housing, which comprises a horizontal base portion Q, supportedat its four corners by casters 3, and w'hereon there is erected theopposide walls 4 and 5, back wall 6 and horizontal top wall 7 formingthe housing into and from which the bed is foldable.

8 designates the bed frame comprising opposite side members 9 and 10 andhead and foot members 11 and 12, all of which are rigidly joined to forma rectangular frame in which springs of a suitable character, asdesignated at 13 are mounted to serve as the bedding support.

The frame 8 is provided at its outer end with paired supporting legs 15pivotally fixed by pins 16 to opposite corners of the frame in suchmanner that they may be folded from supporting position, as shown inFigure 1, upwardly and over the end to lie Serial No. 25,207.

upon the top edges of the side rails of the frame as shown in Figure 2.The inner end of the frame is suspended from within the housing by meansof a pair of angular links 18 having their upper ends pivotally fixed bypins 19 to t-he inner faces of the opposite side walls 4 and 5 andhaving their lower ends pivotally fixed by pins 2() to the outer sidesof the opposite side members of the bed frame at such spaced distancefrom the inner end of the frame that when the frame is folded into thehousing its lower end will be permitted to swing downwardly close to thebase 2.

Fixed to the outer faces of the side beams of the bed frame, at theirinner ends, are rollers 25 that are adapt-ed to follow within verticallydirected guide grooves 26 formed in the inner faces of the side walls ofthe housing as shown in Figure 3. These grooves are arcuately curvedabout center points forwardly of the said walls so that, with respect tovertical lines through their lower ends, they curve rearwardly, thenforwardly across the slide and then at their upper ends are turnedrearwardly to form seats 27 in which the rollers 25 will seat when thebed is open.

Across the head and Afoot portions of the bed frame, are cross bars 30having supporting leg portions 31 whereby they are hingedly attached tothe frame and which permits them to be folded upwardly to positionsshown in Figure 1, to serve as head and foot guards, or to be foldeddown against the frame, as shown in Figure 2, when the bed frame is tobe folded into the housing.

For the purpose of assisting in raising the bed, also to facilitate itsbeing lowered, I have provided a pair of spring arms 35 which at theirlower endsare wound about a cross rod 36 extended across the lower partof the front of the housing and which at their upper ends connect withthe ends of a cross bar 37 that is slidable within two guide bars 38fixed longitudinally to the under edges of the side rails of the framein spaced relation thereto. When the bed frame is raised, these springarms bear upwardly against the frame to assist in. the raising, and whenthe frame is lowered, they act to retard it and let it down easily sothat the person lowering it will have no diiiculty in getting thesupporting legs in position.

With the device so constructed, when it is to be raised from openposition, as shown in Figure 1, to closed position, the operator firstlifts upwardly on the outer end of the bed frame and then swings thesupporting legs 15 upwardly and over the end and then downwardly againstthe top ofthe frame. The foot baril() is likewise pushed downwardlyagainst the frame as shown in Figure 2. The

operator then pulls outwardly on the frame while at the same timelifting it so as to drawthe guide rollers 25 from the seats 2T and intothe upper ends of grooves 26. The outer end of the frame is then swungu1- wardly andv moves to position within the frame as shown in Figure 2,while the guide rollers 25 travel downwardly in grooves 26. ln loweringthe bed, the operation is just reversed, but it is to be noted that, dueto the certain curvature given 'the slots 26 and the relation of theseslots to vertical lines thro u gli their lower ends, the tendency of thebed to drop quickly is overcome; this beingl due to the fact that therollers 25 during the lowering of the bed through the latter part of itstravel are following up the forwardly inclined upper portions of theslots and this movement is opposed by the pull on the bed in thevopposite direction by the suspended links 18.

It is to be noted that when the bed is lowered, the head end ofthe bedframe is supported by the two links 18 and since these are connected tothe frame at points forwardly of the supporting pins 19, the weight ofthe frame tends to move it inwardly and in thisway the rollers 25 areheld firmly in the seats 27.

Having thus described my invention, what l I claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is: In a folding bed, a bed frame, ahousing into and from which said frame may be folded, having guidegrooves in its opposite side walls, said grooves being curved arcuatelyso that, with respect to vertical lines through their lower ends, *theyare first directed rearwardly and upwardly and then forwardly andupwardly across the lines and then terminate at their upper ends inrear- 'wardly curved offset seats, a pair or angular links pivotallyfixed at their upper ends to the side walls of the housing at pointsabove 4and rearwardly of the vertical lines through the seats and attheir lower end to the side members of said bed frameand by means ofwhich said frame is suspended for foldable movement into and from thehousing, supporting legs hingedly attached to the outer end of saidframe, guide rollers mounted on -the side members of the frame at itsinner end and adapted for travel within said guide grooves as the framemoves between closed and open positions and to move into said seats whenthe frame is fully opened; said suspending links being so attached tothe housing and frame that they will act, due to the weight of the framethereon, to retain the said rollers against said seats and a springfixed to the housing and bearing against the bed frame to yieldablysupport the latter when folded into the housing.

Signed at San Diego, San Diego County, California, this 9th day ofFebruary, 1925.

' JAMES nwnLLs.

